What Celtics Fans Need To Know Heading Into NBA Draft Lottery
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tuesday night is a big night for the Celtics organization, but don't get your hopes up too high.
History shows that the NBA Draft Lottery has never been very kind to the Celtics, so even though they enter Tuesday with a 46.9 percent chance at landing a top three pick the June 25 NBA Draft, there's a good chance that won't happen.
What will happen Tuesday night is we'll finally have a clearer picture of the Celtics' offseason ahead. Since their postseason came to a disappointing end two weeks ago we've been left to fantasize about landing a top pick, or dread more inevitable lottery anguish. One way or another, that comes to an end around 8 p.m. on Tuesday. We'll know for sure if the Ben Simmons vs. Brandon Ingram debates were warranted or just a waste of time. Then a whole new crop of speculation can take over: Should the Celtics keep the pick or trade it?
But that's getting a little too far ahead of ourselves. For now, we just have to make it through tonight. Here's everything you need to know to get ready for the 8 p.m. drawing:
The Odds
1st Pick: 15.6%
2nd Pick: 15.7%
3rd Pick: 15.6%
4th Pick: 22.6%
5th Pick: 26.5%
6th Pick: 4%
Despite the Brooklyn Nets finishing with the third-worst record in the NBA, the Celtics have the best chance at picking up the fourth or fifth selection come June 23. It's unlikely either would bring a franchise-altering talent to the organization, and it's unclear if either would be enough to sweeten a potential trade package for a proven star. But hey, either are better than the worst-case scenario -- the sixth overall pick.
There is some hope the C's can jump into the top three, but Celtics fans have learned from the 1997 and 2007 draft lottery to never count on the best outcome to actually come to fruition. That kind of luck just hasn't happened for Boston.
Maybe sending Isaiah Thomas, the final pick in the 2011 draft and Boston's "Leprechaun" (as tagged by Ainge), will turn that luck around. But chances are, he'll be just as disappointed as every other Celtics' lottery night representative forced to fake a smile during the telecast.
The Picks
If Celtics fans need to feel a little better about something, look no further than the plethora of picks after that first selection. If there's one thing Ainge can rest his hat on, it's the Celtics have a healthy bounty of draft picks this year. They have eight picks overall and three in the first round, accounting for 13.3% of the selections that will be made in 2016.
First Round
-- Brooklyn Nets Pick TBD @ Draft Lottery
-- No. 16 -- from Dallas Mavericks (via 2014 Rajon Rondo trade)
– No. 23 -- Own pick
Second Round
– No. 31 -- from Philadelphia
– No. 35 -- from Minnesota
– No. 45 -- from Memphis
-- No. 51 -- from Miami
-- No. 58 -- from Cleveland
It's highly unlikely the Celtics will use all eight of their selections, and extremely likely Ainge will package a few picks to acquire a proven player (if available) or move up. While their late first-round picks may not carry much weight (remember last year when Ainge tried feverishly to move up and draft Justice Winslow?), the first pick in the second round could be an enticing pick for teams looking to nab some decent talent on the cheap. If the C's do end up using their last three picks most of them will likely end up overseas, much like Marcus Thornton (the 45th overall pick out of William & Mary) who played 28 games in Australia before signing with the Maine Red Claws of the D-League last year.
There is plenty riding on those hundreds of ping-pong balls that will figure out the top of the draft on Tuesday night. Land one of the top two picks and Ainge can dangle it to other GMs, maybe getting a little more with a little less, or he can opt to make the selection and add more youth to Boston's young core. End up with a pick outside of the top two and the offseason gets a little cloudier, but there are still plenty of options. It just gets much more complicated, and the road to the rebuild gets a little bumpier.
But no matter what, once we know what pick the Celtics have on June 23 we'll have a clearer picture of what the next step in the rebuild could be.
